During oilfield production, granular materials in slurry form can be pumped into a wellbore to improve the well's production. For example, the slurry can be part of a gravel pack operation and can have solid granular or pelletized materials (e.g., gravel). Operators pump the gravel slurry down the tubing string. Downhole, a cross-over tool with exit ports diverts the slurry from the tubing string to the wellbore annulus so the gravel can be placed where desired. Once packed, the gravel can strain produced fluid and prevent fine material from entering the production string. In another example, operators can pump high-pressure fracture fluid downhole during a fracturing operation to form fractures in the formation. This fracturing fluid typically contains a proppant to maintain the newly formed fractures open. Again, a crossover tool on the production string can be used in the fracturing operation to direct the slurry of proppant into the wellbore annulus so it can interact with the formation.
Flow of the slurry in these operations significantly wears the production assembly's components. For example, the slurry is viscous and can flow at a very high rate (e.g., above 10 bbls/min). As a result, the slurry's flow is highly erosive flow and can produce significant wear in the crossover tool even though the tool is typically made of 4140 steel or corrosion resistant alloys. The most severe damage occurs around the exit ports where the slurry exits the crossover tool and enters the inside of the production assembly. Typically, the crossover tool has inner and outer components that both have ports. As expected, any misalignment between such ports can aggravate wear as the slurry flows between them. If the wear is not managed properly, it can decrease the tool's tensile strength enough to cause failure under load and can also produce problems with sealing within the tool.